High Schools That Work (HSTW)

High Schools That Work (HSTW) is the largest and oldest of the Southern Regional Education Board’s (SREB) school-improvement initiatives. Beginning in 1987, it was the nation’s first large-scale effort to engage state, district, and school leaders and teachers in partnerships with students, parents, and the community to improve the way high school students are prepared for work and further education.

Today's students live in an era driven by math, science, technology, and information. Consequently, we must prepare them with the essential skills they need to prosper in a data-based economy. HSTWprovides that framework through 10 Key Educational Practices for accelerating learning and setting higher standards. It recommends actions that provide direction to schools as they work to improve academic and career/technical instruction at school and work sites. These recommendations meet the criteria for comprehensive school reform.

Arkansas is a member of the SREB's network of 31 states and more than 1,200 high schools in the HSTW program. Twenty-six Arkansas high schools participate in this initiative through the Arkansas Department of Workforce Education.

The HSTW effort is based on the belief that, in the right school environment, most students can learn complex academic and technical concepts. The initiative targets high school students who seldom are challenged to meet higher academic standards. HSTW offers school systems a unique opportunity to prepare more students to communicate, solve problems, perform tasks, and produce products—on the job and in a lifetime of learning.